Judy and Josephine
by Emma-Kate9885
Summary: Judy MacLennon and Josephine Jones have always been bestfriends, though they are complete opposites. Josephine being the gorgeous, cool and collected one and Judy being the cute, but socially awkward one. Their life seems fairly normal, at least to Judy, until Judy reads a book that endangers them both.
1. Judy MacLennon

Hi. My name is Judy MacLennan. That's pronounced Mak-lin-in for those of you who are ignorant and have trouble pronouncing last names. Anyway, now for a tidbit about myself. I am a mostly average girl who has the everyday mostly average problems that just about every 14 year-old girl has. For instance, boys, hair, clothes, gossip, and drama that your friends manage to pull you into. There are just a few things that set me aside from your normal teenage girl.

1) I am too smart for my own good being 2nd in my class, so, of course, there are only a few people who are really my friends and just need help on a test. (If you know what I mean.)

2) I have this problem with being right all the time and having the last word, thus meaning I argue. A lot.

3) I am not technically a human being.

Did I startle you? Did I mean what I just said? Sadly, yes. And no, I am not exaggerating or speaking hypothetically or metaphorically. It's just the cold. Hard. Truth. Period.

Another thing that I forgot to add to my list is that I am a total bookworm and have a life spending time with my personal library to really want to hang out with regular people. I recently just finished the PJATO series. In other words, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Did I like them? Yes. Were they interesting? Yes. Do I believe in them? No. That is, not until recently. Did reading them certainly and most definitely put my life in sudden and immediate chances of death? Of course. And now we all want to know why.

I am a demigod.


	2. The Lightning Thief

**Judy**

It all started with one of my friends recommending a book to me. We were in the library after school, and I needed a new book to read.

"C'mon, Isabell," I said, beginning to get frustrated. Isabell was a short, thin little girl who was the same age as me, but looked kind of like Tinker Bell, but cuter. She had rosy cheeks and short, black hair that was spiked and poked out in all directions, "I need a book before the holidays, but I can't miss my bus."

"Hmph," retorted Isabell as she glanced at me from the shelves. She had a voice like tiny bells, "Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't rush me. I am going as fast as I can. I want you to read one book or series in particular. And as for the bus, you can walk home. You live across the street and you can make it home in half the time. Now, if I could only remember the last name… Aha! Here we are!"

Isabell brought a small book over to me and I read the name. "_The Lightning Thief_ by Rick Riordan. Hmm. Isabell, you know I would have this finished by nightfall. Can't you choose something a bit larger?"

Isabell's face soured, "Fine." She rolled her eyes and sighed. She walked towards the B's and pulled three books then she walked back to where she pulled _The Lightning Thief _and pulled four more. She piled all eight books into my arms and walked with me to the check-out desk. Usually I try to limit the number of books I take home at once, but this was perfect for the Thanksgiving Holidays. We had nine days off of school counting the weekend, and I could read one a day.

"There," said Isabell, "that should keep you set for all but one day over our vacation, and you can use your last day to write your report on what we did over the holidays for Ms. Hasvurb's class. I got you the Avalon Series by T. A. Baron and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan. Both are really good."

"Thanks," I told her. Isabell was so nice. She was loved by everyone and a friend to everyone, and every year she made homecoming court. Maybe she would be queen this year. She is a senior after all. That's another thing about Isabell. She is extremely smart. Besides Josephine, Isabell is the only person my age that is smarter than me. She skipped 5th and 7th grade, and in 8th she won the middle school homecoming queen and graduated top of her class.

"No problem," she said with a smile, "hey, I've gotta go, but Brody, James, and Sean should be waiting for you outside."

"Alright," I said, "See you later."

As I exited the library with my books in my bag, a blast of cool air caressed my face. Ah. I love autumn. I saw the guys and Josephine waiting for me by the stone wall. They were going to walk me home to drop off my stuff then we would go pick up Juniper and the real vacation would begin. What? Even bookworms have lives.


	3. The House on Juniper's Street

**Judy**

I walked over to everyone and smiled. I love my friends. Brody is the quiet, buff type with the copper skin and dark, spiked hair and slim frame though muscular. James is a more nerdy type but sweet and always there when you need him. Then there is Sean. Sean is Josephine's current boyfriend. With the blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, he is every girl's dream. Well, most every girl's dream. Brody is just fine for me. His eyes are blue, too, but a darker sapphire blue compared to Sean's robin's egg blue. As soon as I was within two feet of Brody, I dropped my bag and flung myself into his arms.

"I was just in your last class, you know," said Brody. His deep voice was so hypnotic.

I shrugged and said, "I don't care. I love being close to you. I don't know what it is, but you give me the feeling of wanting to be protected whenever I am around you."

Brody chuckled, "I know the feeling in reverse. I get the strange sense of wanting to protect you. Especially from big bad Sean over there."

I giggled. That was kind of our inside joke. Last year at a pool party, I was sitting alone and reading. Sean felt that it was his job to get me into the pool so he and Brody ganged up on me and Sean lifted me over his shoulder and acted as if he were going to throw me into the pool. He slipped on a drink that had spilled and we both went tumbling in the deep end. I can't swim very well and in the process of choking on water, I couldn't stay afloat, so Brody jumped in and saved me. Sean has always been a prankster.

"Okay, so if you two are finished with your love fest, we would like to get going so we don't miss it. C'mon. Andale, Andale," said Sean impatiently.

"Fine," Brody said as he untangled himself from me, "don't get your tights in a twist."

Brody grabbed my bag and our group started for the house. It wasn't that far, so we got there quickly. I told them to wait outside because my dad might be sleeping. My dad works at random hours whenever he gets a call, and lately it has been for the night shift. He has a very important job being head security guard for a nuclear base. I smiled when I walked into his room. He has such a bed head. I left him a note, reminding him I would be gone that night, grabbed my bag for Josephine's, one book, twizzlers, and headed out.

When I made it outside, Josephine said, "Got everything?" I nodded. Josephine was so pretty. Her golden hair fell past her shoulders and she had golden skin and big, loving brown eyes and a sweet, innocent smile. Don't let that fool you though. She is the master at fencing and archery. No one has beaten her yet. Not even the upper classmen.

We all talked and laughed and made jokes about Professor Lombard, our science professor, and how his nose was so large, you could hear him blow that thing from a mile away. We were having a good time until we reached Juniper's street. Across the street from where Juniper lived, there was this creepy woman who never came out of the house except a few times a year. When she came out, her head was wrapped in a black sash and her face was veiled, and whenever she walked by, one would swear they heard a hissing noise.

We were quiet. No one dared say a word. As we turned into Juniper's drive way, I snuck a side glance towards the house. I scanned the place. It was an old house like one out of those horror movies. It was two stories and had an attic. There was a silhouette in the second story window on the left-hand side. The old woman was watching us.


	4. Suspicions

**Judy**

A chill went down my spine, and I subconsciously tightened my grip on Brody's arm as our backs had turned to the creepy house. Unfortunately, Brody noticed.

"Hey, J," he said calmly, "Something wrong?"

"N-no. Nothing," I replied uneasily.

Brody gave me a Look. He knew when I was lying, and let's just say that he wasn't particularly fond of the times when I did.

I sighed, "Not now. Wait until we get inside. I don't want to cause a scene."

Brody nodded as we walked into Juniper's house. Part of me was praying, hoping desperately that Brody would just forget about it. It was probably nothing but my imagination, and I don't like people worrying about me for stupid things. Sadly, I knew Brody oh too well. I knew he wouldn't back down until he knew everything.

There is a little hallway right when you walk in at the front door. On the left was the stairs that led to Juniper's bedroom, girls' guest bedrooms, and west wing, and on the right was the stairs that led to the boys' guest bedroom, Grover's room, and the east wing. Straight ahead lay the den. I began to walk to the den, but Brody grabbed my arm and pinned me against the wall.

"Now," said Brody, "Tell me what you saw."

I was a little hesitant because I didn't want to distract everyone else, but I didn't want to make Brody mad at me just because I wouldn't tell.

"That woman in the house across the street," I said, "She was watching us from the second story window on the left hand side. It probably isn't much to worry about but it just gave me the chills."

"You were right to fear her," Brody told me, "No one in their right mind would brush something like that off."

Brody gave me one of his adorable half-smiles and looked through the blinds over the window on the door, "Well, whoever the woman is, she isn't there now."

He turned back to me, and pinned me against the wall and smiled, "It's all better now."

I smiled, "Shouldn't we be getting back to the others?"

Brody seemed to weigh his options in his head. He smiled mischievously, "Nah. I think I'm good right here."

Brody began to lean in. My hard started racing. I'd never been kissed before, and I'm sure he hadn't been either. It then dawned on me that he could have kissed someone before. He was a few years older than me. He and Sean and James were juniors. Every summer they would go to this camp. It's been four years, since they were twelve. Anything could've happened. Oh dear, there's a mental breakdown going on here. I was about to explode. I could feel Brody's breath on my neck.

"Whoa!" yelled Sean; apparently he had found us, "It's getting kind of hot in here, isn't it? I really didn't think you'd try to make a move on her here!"

"Sean!" I screamed at him. I broke away from Brody and ran at Sean. I swung back my arm to get ready for a punch. He nimbly dodged it by ducking.

"Hey!" Sean said defensively and held up his arms, "Sorry, I just didn't think that Brody was so eager to give his first kiss away, that's all!"

The place went silent, and my fist stopped in midair, "What did you just say?" I asked Sean in a deadly quiet voice.

"I-I um…" he said hesitantly.

I heard Brody sigh behind me, "Way to go, Sean. You know I didn't want anyone to know."

I dropped my arm and turned around slowly, "Y-You haven't kissed anyone… before?"

Brody avoided my gaze, "Yeah, I just… haven't found the right girl yet. That is, until now."

"Awww! Would you look at that? Look at that puppy love. Oh, my little Ju-Ju is growing up! Awww…" At that moment, Josephine walked in. This just couldn't get more awkward.

I had spoken too soon, however, because Juniper decided at that moment to walk in holding hands with her boyfriend, Grover. She had been meaning to introduce us to him, but didn't want to rush things. He went to the same camp that Brody, Sean, and James did. He was a camp instructor there. That is where Juniper had met Grover. He was a skinny boy with facial hair. I'd place him at 15 or 16. He was a ginger and walked kind of funny, but he reminded me of James, so I didn't think it would be a problem for us to get along.

I admit, it had to be an amusing scene. Brody's head was down and mine was beet read. We were obviously the cause of the commotion. Being center of attention was Josephine's cup o' tea. Not mine. Sean was on the floor with his hands up defensively. Jo was perched on the small table beside the front door, enjoying the scene that lay before her. James was off in the corner, a big smile on his face. He was a good friend of Grover's. His brother, what-was-his-name, had been Grover's friend since middle school. He and Grover were the same age. Maybe eighteen, nineteen by now?

"Uh, hi," said Grover, his voice a bit uneasy, "I'm Grover. It's nice to meet you."

I walked over to him and held out my hand, "Hello. I'm not usually the one to introduce myself first, but I guess it's only necessary seeing as how I'm the main cause of this."

I gave him a faint smile which he returned as he shook my hand, "No problem. I'm used to seeing this sort of thing, and crazier," he said a bit more freely.

"I'm Josephine, but you can call me Jo for short if you like," announced Josephine. In one graceful motion, she had crossed the hall and embraced Grover in a warm hug then shook his hand.

"Um… hi," said Grover in response.

"Okay," said Juniper, "We've got three hours until the meteor shower begins. Boys, I'll need your help with setting up the roof garden for the show. Girls can put their bags down in the guest room. Josephine knows the one, Judy. Thalia should be here in a bit, James. After the boys help, you're welcome to hang out and do whatever you wish."

Juniper smiled and bounced out of the room with Grover's hand in hers. Something I noticed about Juniper's house is that it was completely symmetrical… weird.

"Hey, Jo," I said questioningly, "I thought we were going to your house."

Josephine froze in her tracks, then shrugged it off and turned to face me with a big smile on her face, "Oh sorry. I must have forgotten to tell you. There was a change of plans. We're watching the shower and staying at Juniper's tonight. Could've sworn I'd told you. C'mon. Let me show you the room we're all staying in tonight."

Jo turned and bounded up the stairs. _Hmm… she's hiding something from me_; I thought to myself, _I just know she is._

I followed her up to the room. It was huge. It was on the third floor of Juniper's mansion and occupied the entire west wing on that floor. You can reach it by a hidden spiral staircase that emerged through the floor at the center of the room. It was themed with bright colors of orange, pink, red, and yellows. There were throw pillows of different shapes and sizes, a huge, four-poster, King size bed with a gorgeous silk comforter and a canopy that was currently tied back to the posters, a pinkish orange futon, and a plush orange-yellow carpet that reminded me of a sunset. The walls were decorated with flowers and butterflies, and one wall was actually ceiling to floor windows so you can see outside and even watch the sunset. Closer to where the middle of the house was, was a staircase with a glass railing that led up to the rooftop garden.

I smiled and dropped my bag beside the intricately designed spiral staircase that I had just trekked up. Josephine looked at me and smiled sweetly.

"I'm going up to the rooftop garden to see Sean. I'm going to be with him for a while, okay? I'll come and get you if anything exciting happens. I'm sure you want to read, right?" said Josephine.

_She knew me too well._

I gave her a curt nod and watched as she raced up the stairs to her beau. I grabbed my book and plopped onto the futon. _Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief_ by Rick Riordan. I opened it to the first page.

_ "Chapter one: I ACCIDENTLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER_

_ Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood._

_ If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close the book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life._

_ Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways._

_ If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened._

_ But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before _they_ know it too, and they'll come for you._

_ Don't say I didn't warn you…" _**(Riordan, 2006)**

That is an interesting way to begin a book. I even felt a little flutter in my stomach when it said something about feeling something inside. I shook my head. It had to be from the Brody thing earlier today. Yeah, that had to be it.

I read on.

_"My name is Percy Jackson…" _

Weird… James's last name is Jackson.

_"I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York._

_ Am I a troubled kid?_

_ Yeah. You could say that…"_

New York? Yancy Academy? This was getting a bit weird. I went to Yancy Academy. I lived in New York… Did Isabel plan this? I was soon absorbed in it and finished the book within the hour. It was four when I looked at the time. Still two hours before the shower.

I leaned into the folds of the futon and thought about the book. I thought about Medusa and how she was portrait in the story. It seems so much like the lady in the old house across the street. A camp that the demigods attended in the summer? Mysterious unexplainable things that randomly happened to you and got you kicked out of school? It was so strange. Everything added up. Even my mother's unexplained disappearance when I was a baby. Could it be?

I set my jaw. I had to tell Josephine.

I stood up, but at that moment, she came bounding down the stairs.

"Hey, Ju-Ju, we're all going to go swimming in the pool. Wanna come?" she asked me. I stood and gave her a blank stare.

"Are you okay?" she inquired, "You look as if you'd seen a ghost."

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Sure. I'd love to come. I just finished my book."

"Cool," she said, "What'd you read this time?"

"Oh," I replied, "Um… _Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief_."

I handed her the book. She took it and spaced. It was Josephine's turn to look like a ghost.

"Jo?"

Her head snapped up, "Yes?"

"Are you—?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. What makes you say that?"

She set the book down and avoided eye contact with me. She walked over to the white dresser on one side of the room and pulled out an orange, pink, and yellow bikini with flower patterns all over it. She handed it to me.

"You want me to wear this?" I asked her uncertainly.

Jo laughed, "Of course. We're going swimming, remember? The bathroom is over there. Change and come on up, okay?"

She pointed to the bathroom door next to the dresser, and went back to the crowd up on the roof before I could say anything. Oh well. Might as well…

I examined how I looked in the mirror. I'd never felt more naked in my life. She can't expect me to go out there looking like this! I walked to the stairs that led up to the garden on the roof. An orange towel was laid out for me. A draped the towel over my arm and took a deep breath as I walked up the steps.


	5. Thalia

**I sincerely apologize for the major delay. With drill meets, Cadet Ball, and school work, I had absolutely no free time. I am free at last for the summer, so I can assure you, I will update as much as possible. Thanks to all my readers. Your words are inspiring. ;) **

As I reached the top of the steps, the waning light blinded me for a moment, but when my vision cleared, the sight was breath-taking. The roof garden was the place where the girls' penthouse and the boys' penthouse met. It had a cobblestone walkway, and fountains and trees and flowers of all colors. Straight ahead was the pool. It was an in-ground pool on the roof. (If that makes any sense…) On the side of the soon to be setting sun, there was a pallet laid out for all of us, and on the other side, there was a little wooden pavilion with a snack and dessert buffet underneath it. I drew my attention back to the pool.

My jaw dropped. Brody was standing there, the droplets of water glistening on his skin like tiny diamonds. He looked my way and smiled. I quickly shut my mouth and felt my face go hot as he made his way to me.

"Why are you blushing, sweetheart?" he asked with a mischievous half-smile. I couldn't move as he grabbed my hand and removed my towel, revealing my nakedness of the bikini. My face got redder. He kissed my cheek.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Brody said as he dropped my towel and led me to the pool.

As we got to the steps leading down into the pool, I heard Sean yell, "Oh, would you look at that? Looks like little Ju-Ju has a body! Why didn't you tell us, Judy? It appears I can't make jokes about you being flat-chested anymore!"

I set my jaw. Jo, who had her feet in the water, giggled. Sean loved teasing me, but by now I had grown tired of it. I let go of Brody's warm, reassuring hand and made my way over to the diving board. Everyone was watching, but I knew I would nail it. I wasn't training everyday on the swimming team for nothing.

I took a deep breath and stepped onto the board. I closed my eyes and did a back-handspring, back tuck into the water. When I came up, Jo and Brody were cheering. I looked over at Sean who stood open-mouthed in shock. At that moment, the volley ball came over the net in the water and hit him in the head. The guys laughed, but my bravo only lasted so long…

"Well, how do you like dem apples, Sean? You should tell her that she doesn't have a butt next and she'll fly off the diving board and dive into the water like a bird hunting for fish, or maybe she'll do an Ariel and a backbend kick-over into the water. That sure would be something I would like to see."

I looked up to see a girl with electric blue eyes, black, spiky hair, and a neon green and black bikini on leaning on a statue of Zeus. She wore a smug look and looked about 15. She strutted over to me and smiled.

"I'm Thalia," she said.

"Hi. Judy. Nice to meet you," I got out. Everything about her was intimidating. She was a beautiful warrior who had obviously seen many battles. I had not met her, but then why did she seem so familiar..?

"Yeah, I know," Thalia replied, "It's always nice to meet me. The reason for it, though, isn't always the best."

Juniper cleared her throat.

Thalia laughed semi-nervously, "I'm kidding. No need to freak out. Anyways, down to business. Time to find out more about you, Judy. You don't seem to be the one for words with someone you barely know, so let's loosen you up now. Who's up for some volleyball?"

Everyone whooped. Thalia walked to the opposite side and Josephine slid into the pool.

"Okay then, Jo. Same rules?"

Josephine smiled, "Oh yeah. Prepare to lose this time, Thally. I happen to have a secret weapon."

Thalia's face lit up, "Oh?"

Josephine nodded and yelled, "Alrighty. Juniper, Grover, and James are on Thalia's team. Brody, Sean, and Judy are on mine. Let's play."

"Hope you have a challenge for me this time, Jo," said Thalia.

"Oh, I do," replied Jo in a deadly tone as she served the ball.

The ball mostly went back and forth between Thalia and Josephine, but every once and a while, one of the others would hit the ball. At times, we seemed to have the upper hand, but Thalia was swift and powerful. She hit the ball and she scored. They were leading 4-2 now.

"Where's your secret weapon now, Jo-Jo?" taunted Thalia. She hadn't broken a sweat.

"She's right here. Ju-Ju, come to the front," said Josephine, breathing heavily.

I moved to the front and smiled. Volleyball was my game. Thalia didn't blink. She served.

She spiked it towards Brody. He hit it up, but not enough to get it over the net. I jumped up and hit it between Grover and Juniper. Water splashed on Thalia's face as it hit the water and Josephine whooped and the guys high-fived as Thalia's expression hardened.

I served. I hit it to the same spot, but Thalia expected that. She hit it up and Juniper hit it over. Jo popped it back, but James leaped up out of the water and hit it to Brody. Brody tapped it to Sean and Sean hit it up and it hit the water right behind Grover. The score was now tied.

By this time, Thalia was fuming, which was a good thing because she couldn't think clearly. It was a bad thing because she looked super scary and as if she could electrocute me right then and there. Another weird thing was how James had leaped up in the air like that. It should have gone over his head, but it was as if the water helped him… I shook it off. That was impossible. He must just have really strong legs…

I served again. This time Grover hit it over and Josephine hit it to Thalia. Thalia punched it to Brody who was behind me. I intercepted it and hit it right in front of Thalia's face. Water splashed on her, soaking her.

I was ready to celebrate, but everyone was deathly quiet. And they were all looking at me. I looked at the water. There was the ball. It was popped, floating, and broken. My eyes went wide.

"Oops," I said, feeling my face get red, "How did I…?"

Thalia smiled, "I think I know who you are. Great job, you guys. You brought out her inner god. Maybe we should go inside. We have an hour and fifteen minutes to explain before the meteor shower."

Everyone grabbed their towels and patted me on the back as we headed down into the girls' penthouse. Brody grabbed my hand and I followed blindly thinking, _What the heck just happened?_


	6. A Guessing Game

"So what you're saying is that I'm a demigod. We all are. And the weird things that have happened to us are because of that?" I asked Thalia. We were all sitting on the sofas, facing each other. I was in the middle of one with Brody and Josephine on either side of me. Sean was standing beside Jo, James standing beside him, and Grover, Thalia, and Juniper were on the other sofa across from me.

Thalia nodded, "Exactly."

I looked around our circle. I was waiting for it. I was hoping someone would start laughing hysterically and proclaim, "Jokes on you!" It never happened. Everyone had grim looks on their faces. This was all too much to take in at once. I looked up and groaned.

"Why me? Why does it have to be like this? Why can't I just be normal for once? Why, why, why!" I yelled to no particular being. Except perhaps the gods.

"Oh, c'mon, Ju-Ju. It's not all that bad," said Josephine gingerly, "It's actually really awesome once you get used to it."

"But what about the monsters that attack you all the time? Don't they? They did Percy. How have we remained hidden all this time? Why do our parents have to be players? Why does the old lady across the street have to remind me of Medusa? It's all because of that stupid book!" I screamed and pointed to the futon where _The Lightning Thief_ now lay.

Everyone got quiet. No one moved. They just looked at me. I could feel the tension rising. Thalia stood and gravitated towards the futon. She picked up the book and looked at me calmly.

"First of all, don't say the gorgon's name. Ever. Names have power, J-Mac. Second of all, where on Earth did you get this book?" Thalia's voice was steadily rising. Her eyes seemed to glow.

"The library?" I squeaked.

"And you read it! This is a matter of life and death and you put all of us in danger by reading this book, Judy! How could you be so selfish?"

"She didn't know, Thalia. Calm yourself. You have no right to yell at her just because you are a daughter of The Big Three," Josephine was standing now. She looked beautiful and collected even though she was obviously upset.

I stood up, "Big Three? You mean Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades?"

Thalia glanced at me. She set the book down and took a deep breath, "Yes. Can you guess which one?"

I smiled, "It's obvious, right? The eye color would be a dead hint, but a daughter or son of Poseidon could just as easily have blue eyes. What gives it away is the sense of authority, the determined glare, and of course the temper. That's really the dead giveaway."

Thalia's jaw dropped, "What?" I asked.

"Really?" asked Sean, "It took me a month to figure it out, and she got it right away. That's completely unfair."

Thalia smiled, "Believe it or not, usually people don't get it right away. Oh, well. Maybe we should introduce ourselves."

"Wait," I said, "How is it that no monsters have attacked us before?"

"Because of you," Josephine said sweetly.

"M-me?" I asked stupidly.

"Yep," replied Brody as he came up behind me and kissed my cheek, "Your ignorance of whom you were kept us safe, but now that you know, it's only a matter of time before they attack."

"Which is why," began Grover.

"We are all leaving tonight," finished Juniper.

"To where?" I asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," said Grover. He stood, and that's when I saw. His legs weren't legs. They were shaggy hindquarters, and his feet were hooves.

"You're a satyr," I said with awe.

He nodded, "The Mist kept you from noticing in the pool. Plus, you were caught up in that volleyball game."

"Speaking of which, that was how we knew what you were," said Thalia, "No regular human could withstand that much electricity going through that ball. Now we just have to figure out whose you are."

"Electricity?" I asked, somewhat offended, "You tried to shock me?"

Thalia nodded, her expression and voice nonchalant, "Unsuccessfully, too, I might add."

"Thalia, just because you finally found someone better at volleyball than you does not mean she's a daughter of The Big Three," James broke in suddenly.

She turned on him, "Yes, it does, James! Where have I ever been wrong about this? I was right about you! And she's the right age! She could be the one in the prophecy!"

James winced as the room fell silent once again.

"Oopsie," said Thalia.

"Prophecy?" I asked, confused.

"We'll get to that later. When it's safer, Judy. Right now is not the time," said Brody calmly. He picked me up and sat down with me on his lap, "Maybe we should tell her who we are now."

Everyone nodded and sat down, and Jo piped in, "Oo, we should play a guessing game. We could see how well she knows us."

I could feel all eyes on me, "Um, well…"

"Here, why don't you start with me," said Josephine sweetly.

"That's not very fair-," began Sean.

Jo cut him off, "Shush." She turned and smiled at me, "Go on."

_Josephine, hmm_, I thought. _Well, on first guess you might think she's a daughter of Aphrodite, but Jo had a mom. Her mom was utterly gorgeous even if it wasn't Aphrodite. No, that's not it…_

"Apollo," I said, "Your father is Apollo."

"How did you know that?" asked James in awe.

"Well, I knew she had a mom, so it wasn't Aphrodite. She is good at archery, totally laid back, and has a way of manipulating and convincing others. And she can sing. Just seemed like Apollo. He's basically the male version of Aphrodite anyways," I said more confidently.

"Great!" exclaimed Jo. She was bubbling with enthusiasm, "Try Sean next."

"That one's easy. He's obviously son of Aphrodite. The way he looks and acts just gives it away."

"Okay, now James."

"Well, his name is James Jackson. He has green eyes and dark hair. It might have been difficult to figure out if I hadn't read that book, but it's obvious now that he's Percy's brother and son of Poseidon. And Grover is Percy's best friend, right?"

"Right!" chirped Juniper, "Who am I?"

"Well, I would say daughter of Demeter or perhaps Dionysus because of your way with flowers and such, but then I got to thinking. You're a tree nymph, right? So in a way, you are a daughter of Demeter," I told her. Juniper smiled and looked at me in awe. That must be a great compliment to her.

"Now me," said a deep, intriguing voice.

I smiled, "Well, you are a bit of a challenge, but I would say… Hades?"

Brody grinned, "Yeah. Dad isn't the nicest of sorts, but he and Mom did a fine job with me, right?"

"Right," I giggled.

Everyone was laughing and joking, when all of a sudden, lightning struck and thunder boomed outside. We turned our heads. Thalia was standing at the window in a flash.

"We shouldn't have gotten too comfortable. Someone has done something to anger my dad, and that's not all," she said gravely. She turned to look at us, her eyes appearing to glow, "We have company."


	7. Complications

Lightning crashed outside to emphasize the cloud of ominous doom that lingered outside the room. I yelped and Brody held me tightly. We stayed deathly silent until lightning flashed and a bang came from downstairs. Someone was in the house.

"Everybody move. Slowly. I don't think she knows exactly where we are, but she'll find out soon enough," whispered Thalia.

She moved swiftly towards a black, leather duffel and started throwing things at us. It was a good thing we had decided to get dressed earlier because the things she threw were weapons. It would not be fun to battle in a bikini. Unless, of course, it was a water gun fight, I don't think that kind of attire would be appropriate. I looked at what Thalia gave me.

It was a necklace chain and a little star charm. I placed the chain around my neck and unclipped the star charm. I pressed on the gemstone. I jumped back and almost dropped the sword that had appeared in my hand. It was a two and a half foot blade that was curved. The hilt was encrusted with jade gemstones just like the small one that was on the star charm. The jade matched my eyes.

"Here," said Thalia. She was holding out another sword. It was a perfect match to the one I was already holding.

I took the sword from her, "Dual swords," I said in awe.

"Celestial bronze dual swords," Thalia corrected me.

"Wow, thanks, Thalia," I looked at her gratefully as I pressed the big gemstones on their hilts and they shrunk to a moon and star charms on my necklace.

She shook her head, "Don't thank me, and thank your parent."

I looked at her, "My parent?"

She nodded, but she didn't have time to tell me because just then, Juniper exclaimed, "Grab some mirrors and get to the garage! Judy was right. It's the gorgon!"

Brody grabbed my hand and Thalia barked orders, "Brody, James and Judy are with me. The rest are with Josephine. We'll take the roof garden and cut through the kitchen. You guys take the servant stairs straight to the garage. We'll meet you there."

"But we want to help, and what about Judy?" pleaded Grover.

"She's my responsibility, and she needs to learn how to fight. Percy defeated the Minotaur weaponless. If she's a daughter of the Big Three, she'll be able to handle herself. Let's go," ordered Thalia.

We walked up the steps to the roof garden. Thalia, then James, then me, then Brody. The once peaceful and serene roof garden was now deadly and forbidding. The rain was coming down so hard; you couldn't see the hand in front of your face.

"Mirrors won't help you now, boys. This is gonna get messy," said Thalia over the rain, "Just keep your eyes low and make your way to the pool. We could use her reflection of the wa—Get down!"

Brody pulled me down just as Zeus's statue was blown to bits right in front of us.

"Split up! Get to the rendezvous point now! Forget about her. We just need to get you to camp, Judy! Don't try to fight her. You'll just get turned into stone!" yelled Thalia.

Thalia and James went one way and we went the other. We were almost to the door to the boys' penthouse when the head of Zeus's statue was thrown into our path, followed by an evil cackle.

"Leaving so soon," taunted Medusa, "I thought we could play a little while, maybe take a picture. You have the most beautiful eyes."

"Medusa, you worm!" James yelled. He ran at her and swung his sword. He managed to cut off one of the snakes that made up her hair, but she dodged the rest. He only really managed to piss her off more. She swung at him and he hit Zeus's head, causing it to crack. I rushed to him to wake him up. His head was bleeding and he was unconscious.

"C'mon, James!" I yelled, "Get up!" I turned around for a second. Medusa was stalking toward us, laughing hysterically, for we were trapped like deer in headlights. My heart started pounding.

"James!" I screeched. I began crying, and the weirdest thing happened. My hands began to glow orange-ish yellow. James began to heal.

"No!" cried the gorgon. She leaped toward us.

Thalia ran towards the water. She looked up and screamed, "You want me Medusa, come and get me! You know you want me! I'm a daughter of The Big Three! I'm Annabeth's best friend. Cousin of Percy, who chopped you to bits! You want me. Come and get me, gorgon!"

Medusa turned on Thalia. She was becoming angrier. She swung at Thalia, but she leaped out of the way and Medusa hit a fountain where Thalia had stood a moment before. That gave me an idea. I pulled out my shiny new weapons and looked at Brody. He understood and grabbed the now groggy James over his shoulder as he moved to cover behind the bushes.

I stood and faced Zeus's head. I could use my swords to see her reflection just as Percy used his shield. I began yelling and taunting Medusa. I heard her become quiet as she made her way to me. My legs started shaking as I sensed her behind me.

"Drop the swords, little girl. You don't want to hurt me. Just let me see your eyes. It'll be painless. I bet they look just like your mother's," Medusa whispered in my ear.

"My-my mother? You know who my mother is?" I heard myself ask. My arms went slack. I could see her reflection in my swords. She was right behind me. I could hear the others screaming to not listen to her.

"That's right, dearie. Just look at me and I'll be able to tell you whose daughter you are," She said. The words seemed to drip from her mouth like syrup. Sticky, sweet, and luring. And all I had to do was turn around…

"You lie," I said softly. Medusa recoiled and struck at me. I leaped into the air and she crashed into the statue, breaking it to bits. She screamed in fury, and turned on me as I landed facing away from her. I used my spacial awareness and hoped and prayed I was right. I shut my eyes tight and spun around thrusting my sword. It chopped her head clean off like a hot knife through butter. As I landed, I still had my eyes closed. I felt around for the head. I had heard it drop near me. I used my fingers to close her eyes, and I opened mine. I'd made a mess.

"Yuck," I said, "Was it this gross when Percy did it?"

"Judy?" I heard Brody and James ask at the same time.

"Over here!" I yelled to them, "It's safe now. I closed her eyes."

I heard them walk up to me from behind. They were still a bit uneasy. I removed the Jade pendant Medusa had been wearing around her neck and clipped it to my necklace.

"What are you doing?" asked James.

"Keepsakes," said Thalia, "It was her first kill." I looked at Thalia; she was bruised up pretty bad. She had only narrowly escaped Medusa's blow since her eyes were closed.

James nodded in approval and I stood up, "Let's get going. The others will be waiting for us. I just have to grab something first."

Thalia and James told Brody and me that they would meet us at the rendezvous point, a.k.a. the garage. Meanwhile, Brody escorted me to the girls' penthouse. I grabbed my satchel full of books along with a locket my daddy gave me from when I was a baby and looked up to see Brody staring at me.

I smiled, "What?"

He shook his head and shrugged, "Just you. You're amazing. No one else could have done that so easily. Percy even had a bit of practice before he took on the gorgon."

"It was no biggie," I blurted, my face already turning red.

"No biggie? C'mon, J, that was amazing."

I looked up at him. He was really close to me now. My heart started beating faster. Brody leaned in once again. With no Sean to ruin it this time, Brody pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back. I could feel the heat of his body as he pulled me to him. It was our first kiss. His, mine… And ours. By the time we pulled apart we were both breathless. We both blushed and looked away as I took a step back.

"Um, we should-," I began.

"Yeah, sorry…"

"No, it's fine"

We held hands and remained awkwardly quiet as we trekked down the stairs to the garage. When we walked in, James was giving a comical performance as he described what happened in the fight with Medusa.

"Oh, be quiet James, you were knocked out cold for half of it," Thalia interrupted the charade.

"Was not!" retorted James.

"Were, too," snapped Thalia.

"Aw, look at you two, quarreling like an old married couple," said Brody as he turned to Juniper, "Clean up on aisle three, category: rooftop garden."

Juniper and I giggled as Thalia and James blushed and yelled, "Were, not!" in unison.

Josephine smiled as she walked over to me, "Got everything?"

I nodded and she grinned as she started to walk away, and then she turned and smirked at my boyfriend.

"Brody, you have some lip gloss on your face. Just there," she said as she smiled and gestured to his lip. It was his turn to blush as we all laughed.

After everyone calmed down we piled into Brody and Sean's cars and left the house on Juniper's street for good. We left feeling as if we knew more than before, and for some, like me, it was true. The only thing left was to figure out who my mom was. There was a part of me that didn't want to know. I didn't want to admit that I might need her. Dad and I had gotten by just fine without her so far, but lately things were changing left and right. I had to admit I was still a bit excited, too. Camp Half-Blood here we come. If only I had known what I had gotten myself into…


	8. Monsters of Medusa's Blood

**I sincerely apologize to my readers. There is no excuse, but I blame school and Cross Country. I am truly sorry for neglecting you. Enjoy.**

The car ride was boring as we made our way to Long Island. Thalia was driving the SUV with James sitting shotgun. Jo and Sean were in the captain seats, and Brody and I were in the back. I was currently leaning against him as I read. We hadn't said much since the kiss. I didn't really get the chance to say anything anyways because he passed out as soon as we hit the road. Long rides in cars did this to him. I didn't mind though. He was adorable when he was sleeping.

I glanced up at my surroundings. Thalia was having a quiet conversation with James in the front. They were whispering back and forth furiously, and it almost seemed like an argument. Jo and Sean had fallen asleep holding hands. Seeing them asleep reminded me of my sleeping boyfriend.

For a son of Hades, he was about as intimidating as a Valentine's teddy bear that held a heart-shaped pillow reading, _Kiss Me _or _Be Mine_. He had his head propped up against his dark blue pillow on the window, his long black eyelashes kissing his cheeks. He looked so peaceful. I couldn't help but smile as I sat up slowly and wiped a bit of drool off of the side of his mouth. The movement caused him to stir, and his eyelashes fluttered before he opened his eyes.

He grinned at me, "Tired of reading already?"

"Nope," I smiled at him, "I just felt a rain drop and looked up to see it was you drooling. I told you not to dream of me too much if I have that kind of effect on you."

Brody scoffed, "Sure. That's just an excuse for you to touch my lips."

I blushed as I tried to think of a comeback, but Thalia interrupted.

"Okay, kids, wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey. This is as far as we can go with the car. We have to walk the rest of the way."

Everyone sluggishly pulled themselves out of the car and grabbed their bags. The car behind us came slowed and pulled over as well. Juniper and Grover hopped out.

"Alright. Everybody have what they need?" Thalia asked.

We all nodded and I picked up the bag with Medusa's head in it and closed the trunk of the SUV.

"The camp is just past that field. Just twenty minutes and then we get food and a well-deserved rest," Brody told me quietly. I smiled at him and we began our trek across the open area. We had crossed halfway when Sean stopped short. He froze, causing us to halt.

"Does anyone else hear a mysterious hissing noise behind us?" he asked, worriedly.

"Judy?" asked Thalia, acid in her voice.

"Y-yeah?" I answered nervously as she turned to face me.

"Is that bag carrying Medusa's head padded?"

"Yes. Why?"

"It obviously wasn't padded enough, newbie. Look," Thalia pointed behind us as we all turned to face what was behind us with dread.

Blood from Medusa's head had leaked from my bag unto the ground. Where the drops hit, the ground began hissing and bubbling as though acid had hit it. A second later, a monster appeared where the first drop had landed. Then another. And another, until the eight of us were standing twenty feet from five monsters. They were two headed snakes created from Medusa's blood. They were huge, stretching to as long as a bus, and thick enough to swallow four people at a time – two from each end. Their obsidian scales sparkled and their red eyes glowed with malice.

"Amphisbaenae…" Thalia whispered.

"Amphi-what?" I squeaked out.

"Monster snakes. Poisonous ones," explained Jo quickly, "Run."

Six demigods, a nymph, and a satyr all high tailed it as quick as we could to get away from the not-so-friendly monsters. However, we weren't quick enough. An Amphisbaena cut off our path by holding its head/tail in its mouth and rolling in front of us. It hissed greedily to its brethren. We were surrounded.

Without speaking, we slowly formed a circle facing our new playmates. Each of us dropped our things in the center of our circle and pulled out our weapons. I drew my charms and bore my dual swords. The Amphisbaenae hissed again. One lunged at me and I dove to the side. It tore up a chunk of the ground where I had been standing a second earlier to leave a decent sized crater. I gulped, and the battle began.

My Amphi-thing turned to me, and I noticed it was slightly dazed. If I could time this right… it lunged again and I leapt up and brought one of my swords down on its head. It chopped that one clean off, and the other made a horrible screeching noise. It would not be tricked as easily again.

The Amphi-thing was moving slower giving me an advantage, but it was cleverly waiting for me to make the first move. We circled each other carefully, eyes trained on every move the other made. It eventually grew impatient and struck at me. I nimbly dodged and nicked it on its nose. I was rewarded with an angry hiss as it recoiled quickly. It lunged again and I attempted to sidestep it again, but it had learned from its mistake and slit my side open with one of its big teeth. I looked down to see an opened wound. The scarlet color of my blood was staining my sky blue shirt.

It gave a hiss like a laugh as its tongue darted out to seemingly lick its lips. It had had a taste and wanted more. I lunged at it, but only managed to cut off its forked tongue, drawing a squeal from the monster. I had once again gained the upper hand, but my vision slowly began to get blurry. I shook my head to clear the fog that had settled on my brain, but it didn't last. I was draining of energy quick, and my enemy knew it. I stumbled out of the way as it struck again, this time piercing my leg. My head was spinning, and I couldn't see straight. I bit my lip and waited for it to strike again.

The Amphi-thing lunged and I jumped and plunged one sword in its eye. It recoiled and let out a screech as it came at me with fire and hunger in its remaining eye. I stood my ground and waited for its mouth to open, about to swallow its prey. At the last second, I dropped to my knees and thrust my other sword upward into the monster's throat.

It made a horrible gurgling noise as it bled and screeched again, "You really need to shut up," I told it.

I pulled the sword out of its throat and speared it again. It immediately silenced and then crumpled beneath me, turning to dust.

"You were giving me a headache," I said to the disgusting creature. I then noticed someone was saying something, but I could only hear my head throbbing. I glanced down and saw a white object lying on the ground that the monster had left behind. I picked up the sharp, pearly object, and looked up in time to see Brody standing above me with a worried look on his face. I heard him mumble something as I vaguely felt him lift me off the ground. Then I blacked out.


	9. Camp Half-Blood

**This did take quite a while, I dare say. This chapter is a treat. I have been busy on my more popular story Lovestruck, Maybe? even though I do enjoy writing this one. It's an extra long one being almost 6 pages on microsoft word. I planned on making it double this length, but I decided I would leave you with a cliffie and then update again soon. I do have a few more weeks before band camp starts, but raider practice should be starting soon, meaning that I should probably start running more. I've been running like a grand total of 3 times this entire summer. I don't even know what I've been doing. Most days I think I just read Fanfiction. it's sad. heh.. I think for about a week, I am going to have a withdrawal from Fanfiction and see what happens. (I mean, you know you're addicted when all 8 pages on the browser for your iPhone each have a different story on Fanfiction pulled up. sigh..) Well, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? *sobs* And that's when it all started. I just wanted to see what it was like! I didn't mean for it to become a problem! *sobs***

**Yeah, I'm strange. heh heh. **

**Enjoy.**

I woke feeling like I had gotten hit by a bus. I was nauseated, dizzy, and thirsty. Extremely thirsty, I was. Oh, gosh. I sound like Yoda. I smiled and almost laughed before I decided it hurt too much to do that when I felt a very sharp pain in my left side. My breath hitched, and I wanted to open my eyes to see what the problem was. _Had I slept on it funny?_ The only thing was that I couldn't open my eyes. I wasn't blind. I could feel and see the brightness of the light in the room behind my eye-lids. There was just something covering them so I couldn't open my eyes to see. I couldn't move either because every movement I made sent bolts of electricity through my body, followed by a searing pain from my left side. Was this a prank? Did Sean cover my eyes when I was sleeping? My head began to pound. I felt as though I was about to start hyperventilating. I didn't even know where I was. Or how I had gotten here. Had everything that I thought I dreamt about really just happened.

Sean, Juniper's house, Thalia, Grover, _electricity_.

Holy crap, it really did happen! Where was Brody, and why am I wounded? Oh, yeah. I got bit by that Amphisba-something. Wasn't that poisonous? Should I even be alive right now? What about everyone else? Did they get to Camp Half-Blood safely? Camp Half-Blood… That must be where I am now. I'm a demigod. The prophecy! Gotta find Josephine and Thalia!

In process of gathering all my crazy thoughts, I had forgotten about one giant key factor in the fact that I was lying in some hospital-like bed with my eyes probably wrapped in bandages. I guess one could say I had a very rude awakening when I attempted to sit up. I cried out and slowly, painfully lied down again, tears forming in my eyes from the pain. Man, that hurt. I sighed. As the pain sluggishly faded into a numbing throb, I started to lift my right hand towards my face. Just as I was about to remove the bandages, I heard a voice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I froze and carefully turned my head in the direction of the person speaking, my hand still poised to remove my bandages, "Why? Who are you?"

I heard a laugh, "Well, you're quite the friendly trooper, aren't you, my dear Ginger. I wouldn't do that because last time you nearly blasted a hole in the wall."

I was puzzled. I wished I could see her face so I could tell if she were joking. My expression must have given it away, for I heard yet another giggle, "I'm not lying. I can't lie. Last time your eyes were glowing like fire, and we quickly had to cover them up because it seemed as though the fire in your eyes were going to spread to the house. You're in the Big House, by the way. In Camp Half-Blood."

"Then that means we made it. We're safe. Where are the others? I have to find them!" My voice had raised a little there at the end. The girl immediately shushed me, and chided, "Calm down, Ginger. You are quite the Hot Head, aren't you? You're hair says it all."

"But the prophecy –!"

She cut me off again, "Don't worry about it, Ginger. You'll know all in good time. Relax a bit, will you?"

"Relax? You want me to relax? I found out yesterday that all my friends had been lying to me and that we were all half-bloods, demigods. Not only that, but Grover is a satyr, the girl who used to babysit me is a tree-nymph. I don't know who my godly parent is, but apparently I'm not what they expected me to be because I have yet to be claimed even though I should have been. Then I meet a girl named Thalia, who by the way _tried to electrocute me_ to find out if I was a demigod or not, after which I find out about some prophecy which may or may not be about me. Then we were attacked by a gorgon, and James nearly got killed until I freaked out and some strange glowing started to come out of my hands! I have two charms on a necklace that turn into celestial bronze dual swords, a gift from the parent that I have never met, and to top it off, I almost died on my way here because these snake-like monsters called Amphi-whatsits materialized out of Medusa's blood! Not to mention that my boyfriend is the son of Hades! What if his dad doesn't like me or something? I was completely content with my life as a boring bookworm. Now I'm wrapped up in bandages and all I want to do is punch the lights out of who ever put this crap over my face! Yet, you are telling me to _relax_?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," I heard her say.

I sighed in defeat as I turn my head to the ceiling, "What's the point of fighting anymore? My life totally flipped upside down. It's funny how reading a book started this mess. Maybe I should read the rest of the series about Percy. That's what saved me from the gorgon. I want my books and my friends. I want this crap of my face, too."

"Demanding, aren't you, Ginger?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," I replied dryly, "And don't call me Ginger. Not even Brody can do that. Only a ginger can call another ginger, Ginger."

I could practically hear the smile in her voice as she spoke in kind, "Oh, but I have a tinge and a fringe of the ginge in my minge. Even more so than you. I like you. Tim Minchin is good taste."

I smiled as I heard her stand, "Now, then. I'm really not supposed to, but I'll remove these bandages for you. If you do it, you'll just end up hurting yourself again. Just don't move and keep your eyes closed for a minute."

I lay perfectly still as she undid the wrappings around my eyes. My face felt immediate relief as the pressure was removed from my eye lids. I felt her move away and I slowly opened my eyes. The light was extremely bright. I squinted my eyes and lifted my right hand to slightly shield my eyes from the light. As my vision adjusted, I noticed that I was in a small room within the Big House. It was painted a pale yellow color. The bed was fairly comfortable. My eyes then rested on the girl whom had been conversing with me a bit earlier. She looked about sixteen. How is it that all these people seemed immortal? Or at least they seemed to all be stuck at one age. She had bright green eyes that shared her mischievous air as did her smirk. Her hair was bright red and crazy curly compared to my auburn ringlets. My eyes were a darker emerald green as well, but she was spunky just like me. I looked at her and wondered who her godly parent was.

"Who's your godly parent?" I asked her. She kept the smirk on her face as she sat backwards in a chair, facing me, "Don't have one."

She must have noticed my weird face because the smug grin on her face grew, "I'm not a demigod."

I was still perplexed. In the book, Percy had made known that normal people couldn't come into the boundaries of the camp. That was why his mom couldn't get in when they were attacked by the Minotaur, "But I thought normal people couldn't get into the camp? And no offense, but you don't look like a tree-nymph, centaur, or any other mystical creature. And if you're Dionysus, I'm scared for what the other gods may prefer to look like."

The girl wrinkled her nose and laughed aloud, "I like your sense of humor, Ginge. Reminds me of myself when I was your age. Nope, I'm not a demigod, mystical creature like that, and I'm definitely not that old geezer who likes to call himself Dionysus. The god of wine who can't even drink it. Please. I'm human, but I'm not exactly normal, I guess you could say."

"Then what are you."

She smiled again, "Read the book. You'll find out. I wouldn't want to spoil everything before you finish the series, now, would I?"

I smirked back at her, "I suppose, but what do you mean 'when you were my age'? No offense, but you don't appear much older than me."

Her smile disappeared to be replaced by a slightly sad expression as she stood to move the chair back against the wall, but her face quickly returned to its happy front when she spoke, "I'm almost twenty. I'm a bit older than Percy, actually. He's the one who carried you in here now that I think of it. Brody flipped after you blacked out. He was sure that you were going to die. He began to get a bit delusional. Mr. D had to force him to leave your side and go back to training. He's probably worried sick. Anyways," she paused as she stretched, "I should go find him for you. Be right back."

As she was leaving the room I called out, "Wait! Don't leave? How do you look so young? What's your name? Why do you look so sad? And why were you hiding it?"

The girl paused in the now open doorway as she turned to look at me with a somewhat sorrowful face. She seemed as though she was about to tell me something when a tall brunette with caramel highlights with copper skin and blueish-green eyes walked in. His hair was slightly spiky at the front where it seemed to be a bit longer than the rest of his hair. He looked roughly 17, but I had been wrong about just about everyone's ages so far. He was attractive and kind of nerdy with his lithe build, and he smiled as he saw me, "Ah, you're awake. I wondered why there was so much noise coming from in here." He turned to the girl with a smirk, "Patronizing the newbie, Rachel? Shame on you."

The girl now dubbed Rachel grinned, all traces of the sorrowful look gone and replaced by her default mischievous expression. She winked at him, "Only a little." She turned to me, "Later, Ginger!"

I watched her leave and kept my pondering eyes on the door until the boy in my room cleared his throat, "Well, you look like you're doing better. And Rachel must have helped you take off your eye bandages. You know, your eyes are really pretty when they aren't glowing like they did. My name is Artie, by the way."

I blushed at the comment about my eyes, and smiled shyly, "Judy MacLennon. And your eyes are pretty remarkable, too. I've never seen someone with your complexion with eyes like that."

Artie smiled, "Yeah, I get them from my dad. Twelve guesses who. My mom was a black model as well as fashion designer. Cool, huh? Well, I think I got the best traits out of both, don't you?"

I grinned, "Son of Apollo, I'm guessing?"

Artie grinned back at me, "How did you know?"

"The trace of arrogance," I replied. He snorted, "I'm not the worst though. Okay, well, let's take a look at that wound there. I have to change your bandages. Don't worry, all I'll be seeing is the wound. I just need you to lie perfectly still. It will only take a minute."

I nodded and then watched as Artie's carefree expression changed into a concentrated and serious one. He carefully unwrapped the bandages, and I almost fainted at the sight. The flesh surrounding the flesh seemed to be in a rotting state. The dried blood was crusted black around the festering wound. The only thing keeping me in a conscious state was the fact that there was no pus, thank the gods. One thing I noticed though is however bad the wound may seem, it looked smaller than it had been when I got bit. I looked to the ceiling as he began to clean it. It stung a little, but after it was cleaned, he didn't begin covering it up again. Instead he seemed to concentrate a little harder. My interest piqued, I glanced down to be surprised at what I saw. He was healing me like I healed James, except the light he emitted from his hands wasn't quite as strong as mine. I watched with wide eyes as the wound shrank a little bit more and the skin around it began to return to its normal appearance. The black dried blood even turned a bit lighter in color. As the light faded, I gasped and looked up gratefully to Artie, to see that he didn't look so good. In fact, he looked as though he was about to pass out.

"Artie!" I called out. Without thinking, I immediately shot up to catch him before he fell over. Pain shot through me, though not quite as bad as before. I ignored it as I helped him into the chair beside the bed. I immediately grabbed the drink off of my table that I recognized as nectar and told him to drink a little bit. He did as I told him and after he felt better, he dressed my wounds and sat back down in the chair, looking little less than embarrassed.

"I guess I used a little bit more energy than I should have," he stated meekly.

"Guess you did," I agreed.

"I just don't understand. With a wound that size, I can normally completely heal a wound that size with ease, but only doing that little bit used a lot more energy."

"Don't beat yourself up," I told him, "A bite from that monster shouldn't be able to be healed at all. I should be dead right now. You've done a lot for me."

That seemed to cheer Artie up. He grinned at me, "I guess I am pretty good then, huh? Here, eat this. It's ambrosia. I'm going to get you some more nectar since I had to drink yours. I'll be right back. After you eat and drink, you'll be able to explore the camp, but go easy on that wound. Your clothes are on that dresser there. Your shirt, unfortunately, was completely unsalvageable, but it doesn't matter because you have your Camp Half-Blood honorary t-shirt."

I thanked him and he smiled one last time before closing the door. When I was left to my own devices, I walked, painfully, over to my clothes. Josephine had gotten me fresh ones from my bag. She left me my favorite shoes which I was grateful for. I had my dark skinny jeans (Jo calls them the 'distracting butt jeans' because they have this eye-catching gold design on the back pockets, but I just find them comfortable), my converse boots, and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. This was great. I liked orange. It was one of my colors as Josephine said. I quickly clothed myself, and found that my necklace with my charms on it was also lying on the dresser. As I was clasping it around my neck, I heard a knock at my door.

I answered the door to be greeted by a tall, lanky boy around 18-19. He was muscular, but lithe, and he had messy black hair paired with green eyes that reminded me of the sea. He looked rather familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He smiled and introduced himself, "My name is Percy. You're Judy, right?"


End file.
